212 pdf - Imperial College London

www.imperial.ac.uk/reporter | reporter | 26 November 2009 • Issue 212 >> featurefocus
Clockwise from top left: the Manor House –
Silwood’s Victorian mansion; one of Silwood’s
ancient bundle-planted trees; Professor
Donald Quicke (Biology) enjoying Silwood’s
Japanese gardens; Staff and students
relaxing after a February willow harvest;
Students on the MSc in Ecology, Evolution and
Conservation in October 2009 returning from
the field with their biomass samples; Silwood
staff victorious over students in this year’s staff
vs student cricket match.
helping the College to gain
planning permission for the
reactor. Although the reactor
ceased commercial services
at the end of April 2008,
the College is considering
whether it has possible future
research uses or if it should
be decommissioned.
the grounds
In 1989 Mick was put in
charge of the Silwood estate
and he admits to becoming ‘a
little obsessed’ with its arboretum
(collection of trees)
which date back to the 1780s
and to which he has added
over 500 new trees.
Walking around the campus,
Mick demonstrates his
enthusiasm for ancient oaks
and ‘bundle-planted’ trees
and his pride in the Japanese
garden which features a
pagoda and lily pond and was
developed in the late 1920s
by Sir George Dolby who had
made his fortune from tea
plantations in Assam and
through various dealings in
the Americas.
Silwood’s grounds are
a huge draw for staff and
students. In addition to 16
high-tech greenhouses, the
natural habitats act as outdoor
laboratories for ecological
research. Mick says the
grounds also give researchers
the chance to do long-term
experiments and he points out
an experiment he has been
running since 1979, looking at
the impact of rabbit grazing on
plant community structure in
Nash’s field. “It is such a luxury
to be able to do my fieldwork
within a few yards of the
laboratory,” he says.
Green living
Many staff and students think
of Silwood as an extension of
their homes and grow plants
and vegetables in allocated
allotments on the grounds.
The chicken coop is the
next stop on the tour and
is the latest student initiative
pioneered by research
associate Alexa Lord (Biology),
who has helped to rescue 24
chickens from battery hen
charities. Staff and students
help to look after them and
get free eggs in return.
Mick comments: “In 1947,
when students first came
through Silwood’s doors, they
were almost entirely self sufficient
– growing potatoes,
keeping pigs and chickens –
essentially living off the land.
I feel like we are returning to
our roots, the latest cohort
of students is definitely the
greenest we have had in my
time here.”
atmosphere
One of the most noticeable
things about Silwood is that
it is a friendly and close-knit
community. Speaking to Dr
Albert Phillimore, a research
associate at the campus and
a new Junior Research Fellow,
he says; “What struck
me when I started is how
PhD students can chat freely
with professors over lunch
– there’s a real open door
policy. The atmosphere is
relaxed – even though everyone
is really engaged with
their work, almost everyone
stops for coffee at 11.00, and
on Friday at 17.00 you can
guarantee a huge proportion
of the Department of Life Sciences
will be at the bar.”
In driving the Campus’
social life, Mick looks to
Professor Sir Richard Southwood
(a director of Silwood
during the 1970s) for inspiration.
“Dick was an inveterate
social engineer and wouldn’t
let a few months go by without
a big do to look forward
to – from the Christmas lunch
to the summer ball. Everyone
was expected to attend these
social functions, and encouraged
staff and students to
socialise together. This type
of interaction lives on at Silwood
and I’m keen to ensure
that, however the campus
develops in the future, this
Silwood spirit remains.”
—Emily Ross, CommuNiCatioNs
Life at Silwood
alexa lord, research associate
(biology), has been at
imperial for six years.
Tell me about your research
It mainly focuses on how climate
change will affect the food chains
that birds rely on, and how well
adapted they are to cope with
these changes.
Have you seen any rare
birds on the grounds?
I run a bird ringing project on site,
which involves catching birds and then placing an individually
numbered metal ring around their leg and collecting some
basic data on them. This data goes off to the British Trust
for Ornithology and is used in conservation planning and
scientific research. Last week we caught two firecrests in
Silwood, which are really rare.
What do you enjoy most about working
at Silwood?
I’m given a lot of freedom and support to develop new
research ideas and skills here, which differs from a lot of
other universities I’ve visited, where postdocs tend to have
much less autonomy. For example, I’m off to Nigeria in January
for a month to work as a volunteer lecturer out there on an
MSc course that aims to train Nigerian biologists to a higher
standard in ornithology and conservation. Not only do I get to
contribute towards this great initiative, but I also get to work
on developing some new research ideas for ongoing projects
whilst I’m out there.
What is your best Silwood memory?
Perhaps seeing fox cubs in the bluebell field and lying down
to photograph them. A couple of minutes later my ear was
tickling and when I looked around, one of them had crept up
behind me and was sniffing my ear!
Describe the Silwood spirit
There is very little formality – people socialise together as well
as work together. A big effort is made to include everybody in
everything that is going on, and the people who thrive here
are the ones who make the best of every opportunity and try
to contribute something new themselves. I’ve never been at
any Silwood event, or walked into coffee or the bar and had to
sit on my own – people always make the effort to talk to you.
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